


So Many Nights

by NachoDiablo, Underthenarniansun



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Kiss, Hogwarts, M/M, Moving In Together, Post-Hogwarts, Sirius Black Lives, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-08 00:17:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19095874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NachoDiablo/pseuds/NachoDiablo, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Underthenarniansun/pseuds/Underthenarniansun
Summary: Sirius and Remus remember a series of firsts.





	So Many Nights

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Saveyourself13](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Saveyourself13).



> Written for the 2019 WSBB, thanks to Arty for the beta! Sys13, thanks for the gorgeous artwork! <3

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

**_Present Day_ **

 

As Remus grew older, the pain of his transformations changed. The wolf slowly became less aggressive, less likely to hurt itself, but the transformation itself wreaked havoc on Remus. It was harder to take the bones snapping and the skin stretching and the teeth and claws growing.

Sirius understood though. As Remus started to experience the pain in the days leading up to the full, Sirius would sit with him. Remus would lay his head in his lap and Sirius would card his fingers through Remus’ hair or hold his hand and he would hum to him.

And sometimes he would tell stories.

Remus loved it when Sirius told stories. They were about them, when they were younger. Sirius had a lovely voice, deep and smooth and Remus had often fallen asleep listening to him, despite the pain.

“Do you remember how we met?” Sirius asked one night, two days before a full.

“Yes but tell me anyways.”

“It was on the train ride to Hogwarts…”

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

**_September 1971_ **

Remus was terrified. He was excited too, but mostly terrified. He didn’t know what house he would be in or if he would make any friends or if he would be any good at magic. His parents had tried to reassure him that everything would be fine, but he was nervous nonetheless.

He had found an empty compartment and claimed it for himself. He pulled out his secondhand copy of  _ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them _ , flipping to the section on aquatic creatures. He had always been fond of Newt Scamander, he loved even the most dangerous creatures. The way he wrote about werewolves was the kindest study he had found. It made him feel like less of a monster when he read about Newt’s conversations with lycanthropes. He wrote about them like they were people, a way Remus rarely thought about himself.

He was on the section about Grindylows when two boys suddenly burst into his compartment. They were both laughing so hard they could barely get any words out, even when they saw Remus.

After almost a minute of the two trying to collect themselves, the one with messy hair said, “Sorry mate, we needed to hide from some Slytherins.”

“What did you do to them?” Remus asked.

“It was brilliant,” the boy with long hair said. “This big nasty one was making fun of a girl for not being a pure-blood, so James went up and, you know that hex that makes you sound like a donkey? He told him to ‘stop being an ass’ and cast that! Oh man, the whole lot of ‘em were pissed, we had to run like mad.”

Both of the boys burst into laughter again. Remus laughed a bit as well; he wasn’t sure how to react to these two, but it did seem like it had been rather funny.

“Anyways, I’m James Potter, and that’s Sirius Black.” The messy haired boy held a hand out for a shake. Remus nervously shook his hand and said, “I’m Remus Lupin.”

James plopped down on the seat next to him and Sirius did the same across from him.

Remus was immediately wary of Sirius. He had read the papers enough to know about his family. They were pure-bloods, and very proud of it. And very vocal about their distaste for people like Remus.

“So, what house do you reckon you’ll be in?” James asked.

“I think I might be a Ravenclaw.” Remus said. “My dad was.”

“I’m going to be a Gryffindor for sure!” James said, “My whole family has been.”

“My whole family’s been in Slytherin.” Sirius said, “But I’m not going to be. I want to be a Gryffindor. They’ll proper kill me when I am though.”

“Why would you want that then?” Remus asked.

Sirius got a fierce look on his face, “Because I’m not like them.”

And just like that, Remus decided he liked him.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

**_Present Day_ **

 

It was the day of the full. Remus had slept until noon and Sirius had decided not to wake him. He wouldn’t dare; Remus needed the rest.

Remus emerged from their room, walking like someone much older than a person in their early fifties should, and sat down at the kitchen table. Sirius placed a kiss to his temple and put a mug of tea in front of him.

Remus leaned into Sirius, sighing contentedly as Sirius rubbed his back.

“I love you, Moony.” The phrase slipped out of Sirius’ mouth like second nature; he’d said it countless times since they’d dared to say it again.

“I love you too, Pads,” Remus replied, easily, as he always did. Sirius smiled to himself as he recalled the first time they’d exchanged those three words. Or rather,  _ both _ first times.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

**_May 1978_ **

 

It was a Friday night, one of the Marauders’ last Friday nights at Hogwarts. They were about to leave school and enter into the real world, one that was war-torn and bleak. They were excited and scared, though none of them would admit to the latter.

The four Marauders, plus Lily, Dorcas, and Marlene, decided to get drunk. James had used the invisibility cloak and snuck out to Hogsmeade to get some Firewhisky, they were ready to commence the festivities.

There was more than enough alcohol for the seven of them and very quickly they were all a nice level of buzzed, getting closer to drunk by the minute. They had all fought for a few minutes about what music to play and had finally decided to put a Queen album on.

James and Lily were being disgustingly couple-y and dancing together to  _ Somebody to Love. _ Peter, Marlene, and Dorcas were laughing on Peter’s bed. Remus and Sirius were lying on Remus’ bed, talking.

“Moony,” Sirius said, “do you think we’ll be okay? With the war?”

Remus looked over at Sirius. “I don’t know, Pads. I hope so, though. I think we’ve just got to hope for now.”

Sirius looked up at the ceiling. “I really hope so, too.”

After a moment, he turned to look back at Remus and started to say, “Moony, I-“

“Siriussssssss!” Marlene slurred, clearly ahead of the pack when it came to getting completely drunk. “Come dance with me!”

Sirius sighed, looking at Remus for a second before he forced a smile that no one but Remus would’ve noticed was faked, and quickly got up and went over to Marlene.

Remus watched him go and then turned to look over at James and Lily, who were not so much dancing at this point but rather were holding each other and kind of swaying to  _ Another One Bites the Dust, _ which was, admittedly, not the most romantic of songs.

Remus felt a pang in his chest as he looked at them. He found his gaze wandering to Sirius and Marlene, who were twirling each other around and singing loudly, and semi-drunkenly, to the music.

He had been having feelings for Sirius for years. He couldn’t even remember when they had started. One day, he just woke up and realized he was completely in love with his best friend. He hadn’t told anyone, though. He knew it wouldn’t go over well.

But right now, he was staring at Sirius. Staring at him with what anyone who had looked at him, although no one had, would’ve immediately recognized as longing. Sirius spun Marlene around and she stumbled into him. He threw his head back and laughed, and Remus thought he looked beautiful.

Tearing his gaze away and internally shaking himself, he reached for a bottle of Firewhisky that was on the table next to his bed and took a generous swig. He winced a bit at the burn; James had gotten the strong stuff. He shook himself externally and took another, larger, swig.

“That’s the spirit, Remus!” Dorcas cheered from Peter’s bed.

Remus glanced at James and Lily again, then back at Sirius and Marlene.

“I need some air.” He launched off his bed and headed out of the dorm.

He didn’t quite know where he was going or what time it was, but he knew it was far past curfew, so he had to be careful not to be caught by Filch.

He was wandering quite aimlessly and had been for a few minutes when he suddenly heard footsteps. Panicked, he scrambled to hide in an empty classroom.

Closing the door behind him, he listened to see if the footsteps would leave, but they stopped right outside the door.

“Shit!” Remus hissed as the doorknob started turning. He had nowhere to hide, there were no desks or cupboards, so he just stood dumbly behind the door and hoped whoever was opening it wouldn’t think to check there.

The door creaked open. “Remus?” Sirius voice floated into the room.

“Sirius?’ Remus asked, confused and relieved.

Sirius slipped into the room and closed the door behind him. “I found you on the map. Wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Oh.” Remus shrugged and tried to look nonchalant. “Yeah, m’fine.”

Sirius studied him for a minute, a strange seriousness taking over his expression despite how intoxicated he had seemed just fifteen minutes ago.

“Hey, Remus?” Sirius said.

“Yeah?”

“I-“ Sirius sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

“What is it?” Remus asked again.

Sirius looked at him with a strange determination in his eyes. He took a deep breath, then stepped towards Remus and kissed him.

After maybe half a second, Sirius pulled back, the word  _ sorry _ already on his lips, but Remus grabbed his collar and dragged him back in.

The kiss wasn’t perfect. They were more than a little tipsy and they both possessed a sort of desperation that Remus couldn’t explain. It was rough and messy and absolutely wonderful.

Remus was unaware of the time as it passed, too wrapped up in the feel of Sirius pressed against him. Eventually, they separated, though their hands remained entwined.

“I love you,” Sirius breathed, looking more vulnerable than Remus had ever seen him.

“I love you too.” Remus said, brushing a hand over Sirius’ cheek and resting it to cup his face. “Merlin, of course I love you too.”

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

**_June 1995_ **

 

Sirius hadn’t seen Remus in years, not since he had been sentenced to life in Azkaban. But, after twelve years, Sirius was out, he had escaped, and had made it clear to Remus that he had been innocent.

Remus had expressed no lack of guilt for not believing Sirius, for not standing by his side at the trial or visiting him. For resenting him. Sirius had assured him that it was alright, but some uncertainty remained between them.

Once the Order started back up, the best place to stay, regardless of how much Sirius didn’t want to, was Grimmauld Place. Sirius asked Remus to stay with him, and of course Remus accepted.

It was awkward at first. Living with someone, in a relatively stable place no less, was new for both of them, Remus having been practically homeless for years and Sirius having been in Azkaban.

Sirius worried that the feelings they had before the war might no longer be there for Remus. But he was too hesitant to broach the topic, and Remus hadn’t brought it up, either.

So they lived together, but also apart. They would talk at meals, discuss the news and Quidditch. They were distant. Not at all like they had been.

Then one day, after a full moon, Remus didn’t come home.

Sirius panicked. The more time that passed from when Remus usually returned, the more anxious he felt.

Remus usually returned early, in time for a light breakfast around half past eight. Then he would sleep for a good portion of the day.

But it was quarter to nine, and he wasn’t home.

Then it was nine on the dot, and he wasn’t home.

Then it was half past nine, and he wasn’t home.

Sirius didn’t know what to do. He checked with Madame Pomfrey, but she said she hadn’t seen him. He almost flooed St. Mungo’s before he remembered that he was still technically on the run. Even then, he debated it, but decided he wouldn’t be any help to Remus at all if he were back in Azkaban.

He cursed himself for not having been with him. Remus hasn’t asked Sirius to accompany him the past two months and this month has been no different.

Once he had calmed himself down a bit, he apparated to Hogsmeade, quickly turning into Padfoot and sneaking his way into the Shrieking Shack.

He reached the doorway of the main bedroom of the house, and there was Remus. He looked awful, lying on the ground, his body twisted, in a small pool of blood.

Sirius couldn’t even remember moving. He was simply at Remus’ side.He searched for a pulse and sighed in relief when he found it, slow, but strong. Remus was still unconscious though.

Sirius knew some basic healing spells, he had learned them for Remus back in their Hogwarts days. He tried his best, mending where flesh had been ripped, fusing bones back from where they had been broken. It took longer than he would have liked. Much longer.

 

But, still, Remus was alive, which was Sirius’ primary concern.

“Moony, Moony, please wake up. Please.” Sirius was murmuring to him. “I need you to be okay.”

Remus made no movement, but his breathing continued, slow and even.

Sirius tried to control his shaking. He had barely spoken to Remus in over a decade, but he still had strong feelings for Remus that hadn’t faded since they’d last parted. Even the little time they had spent together over the past few months had been enough to affirm to Sirius that he still was in love. That he had never stopped loving Remus, despite all that had happened, and that he never would.

“Remus, Moony,  _ please _ be okay,” Sirius begged. “I need you, I can’t lose you. I  _ can’t _ lose you. I love you, Remus.” He folded himself over Remus’s body, as though he could shield him from harm, and whispered again and again, “I love you, I need you to wake up.”

There was a slight movement below him, and he immediately stopped talking and sat up.

“Remus?” Sirius asked. “Are you-”

“I love you too, you idiot.” Remus smiled weakly at Sirius, and reached a hand out to him.

Sirius immediately took Remus’ hand in his own and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Help me get up,” Remus told him. “Let’s go home.”

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

**_Present Day_ **

 

The morning after the full moon, Sirius had apparated them to their house from the Shrieking Shack, which they were still using for Remus’ transformations. It was familiar to the wolf and preferable to the ministry’s setup. Minerva had been the one to offer it, and they had graciously accepted.

Remus’ injuries weren’t bad this time around. Nowadays, the wolf was fairly mellow. When the moon started to set, however, it got a bit hard to handle. It was like it knew that it was going to turn back into a man and needed to get as much of its wildness out before it lost its chance.

Sirius did his best in his Animagus form, but he couldn’t prevent all of it.

For the most part, Remus just had a few scratches and some deep aches. He slept for most of the day and Sirius sat with him, thinking about the day when they found out about Remus’ “furry little secret.”

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

**_October 1972_ **

 

“Remus gets sick an awful lot.”

Sirius looked up from the magazine he was reading and raised an eyebrow at James. “He does, yeah.”

James nodded, looking quite serious. “I was thinking. And, well, for a while I’ve been keeping track of Remus getting sick.”

“Okay?” Sirius said, not quite following.

“Sirius, there’s a pattern.” James said, urgency in his voice, “Remus gets sick around the same time every month... He  _ always _ gets sick around the full moon.”

Sirius stared at James as realization dawned on him. “So you think he’s- he’s a…” He trailed off, almost scared to finish his sentence.

“Yeah,” James said solemnly. “I think he’s a werewolf.”

It happened to be a full moon that night, so they couldn’t talk to Remus about it just yet, but two days later, he came back.

And they were waiting for him.

How they hadn’t noticed before was beyond them. Remus looked like shit. There was a barely faded cut on his cheek and he was limping slightly as he walked into their dorm.

He looked surprised at the sight of the rest of the Marauders sitting on his bed.

“Aren’t you all supposed to be in class?” He asked.

“Remus,” Sirius said slowly. “We have to talk.”

Panic flickered in Remus’ eyes, but within a second he had composed himself.

“Remus, we know,” James said.

“Know what?” Remus’ voice wavered just a bit.

“We know you’re a werewolf.”

Remus tensed, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry. Just- just please don’t tell anyone. I can talk to Dumbledore about getting a different dorm so you don’t have to room with me anymore.” A tired resignation had crept into his voice.

“You’re kidding, right?” Sirius laughed. “Rem, you’re still the same, you’ve just got… a furry little secret.”

Remus looked at him closely. He seemed to be searching for any hint that Sirius was joking, but finding none, tears came to his eyes.

“You mean it?” Remus asked.

James grinned. “Of course mate.” 

Sirius nodded in agreement. “You’re our friend. This? This doesn’t change anything.”

Peter had remained silent throughout the conversation, but he nodded fervently in agreement.

“I-“ Remus started, and then just stepped forward and enveloped each of them in a hug. “Thank you,” he whispered once it was Sirius’ turn. “Thank you so much.”

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

**_Present Day_ **

 

Remus awoke feeling better, not completely, but significantly. He turned to see Sirius sitting in a chair next to him, reading a letter.

“Pads?” He said, his voice low and groggy from sleep.

“We got a letter from Ted,” Sirius told him. “He announced for his last Quidditch game today. Said he changed the color of his hair based on what team was winning.”

Remus chuckled. He wished he could be there to see it. He missed Teddy while he was away at school, but the term was nearly over, and he’d be back home soon.

“Remember when you announced Quidditch games for a bit?” Sirius asked.

“I do,” Remus said with a smile. “And I’m sure Minerva does as well, much as she’d like to forget.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

**_September 1975_ **

 

It was the first Quidditch game of the season, and last game that Remus and Marlene were going to be allowed to announce for.

Not that they knew that at the time.

It started off well. It was Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. The Gryffindors felt confident that they would win; Ravenclaw was the worst team that year.

It started going downhill quickly. Marlene was acting especially chaotic that day. She had been goading Remus lately about his romantic interests, and Remus was wary of what she would say as she took her turn at the charmed mic to announce the players.

“Oh damn!” Marlene spoke into the mic as the teams walked onto the pitch. “Gryffindor is looking particularly fit today! I don’t know what it is, but those uniforms? They’re doing something extra today.”

Remus turned red, but ignored her as he added, “And the team captains are going in for a handshake-”

“Now, Remus,” Marlene interrupted, “Who’s arse do you think looks the best right now?”

“Everyone is mounting their brooms-“

“Anyone you’d rather have mounting you?”

“And Madam Hooch is about to release the Snitch.”

“Boooooring!” Marlene called. “We all know half of us are here for the eye candy. Am I right?”

There was a loud cheer from the stands.

In the air, many of the players were rolling their eyes or grinning.

Sirius dove on his broom, doing an aerial flip.

“Black is looking rather dashing today, wouldn’t you say so, Remus?”

Remus turned bright red and Marlene smirked.

“Fuck off, Marls.” Remus hissed, but unfortunately the microphone picked it up. Professor McGonagall, who had already been on her way over to deal with the situation, picked up her pace.

“Miss McKinnon! Mr. Lupin! Step away from the microphones immediately!” She shouted from a section away.

Marlene and Remus looked at each other for a moment before Marlene took off, leaving Remus left, smiling sheepishly at the head of Gryffindor House.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

**_Present Day_ **

 

Remus was feeling much better that evening, so Sirius left to do some shopping and run a few errands. When he returned laden with groceries and a few bottles of good wine, Remus was sat by the fireplace. He had his guitar in hand,  and hummed to himself as he struck a few chords.

When he spotted Sirius watching him, Remus smiled and moved to place the guitar in its case, but Sirius waved him away as he set down the grocery bags.

“I bloody hated it when you started playing that thing.” Sirius told him as he started to unpack the food.

“Really?” Remus asked, surprised, “You never said. Was I that bad?”

Sirius smiled. “Trust me, Moony, that definitely wasn’t it.”

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

**_November 1976_ **

 

The moment Remus had first started to strum his newly acquired guitar, Sirius had known  he was in trouble.

Remus would bite his lip as he adjusted his long fingers to the right chord, and Sirius could only stare at those fingers and that lip and those fingers and- well, his thoughts turned a little less than friendly rather quickly.

He often had to excuse himself from the room, especially when Remus grew comfortable enough to sing while playing.

Sirius should’ve figured that Remus would have a good singing voice. His normal talking voice was low and smooth and his singing voice was no different.

“Carry on, my wayward son...” Remus’ voice filled the room. James and Peter were off doing who knows what and Sirius had been reading, but he’d much rather listen to Remus. He slightly parted the curtains around his bed and peaked through, just enough to see Remus’ head bent over some sheet music and to see those fingers...

Those fingers that had begun to make regular appearances in Sirius’ dreams.

After a moment or so of watching Remus playing and listening to his voice, Sirius realized that he was entering a danger zone, so he closed the curtains and went back to his book, but ended up falling asleep to the sound of Remus’ music.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

**_Present Day_ **

Dinner that evening was nothing fancy, just pasta with store-bought sauce, but Sirius set the table with their finest china. A bouquet of flowers from their garden was arranged in the center, and he charmed candles to hover over the table as they ate.

After dinner, they curled up together in front of the fire and exchanged slow, soft kisses. Remus’ hand wandered down to Sirius’ ass, but he was still too worn down from the previous evening to go any further.

Sirius didn’t care. Having Remus in his arms, safe and comfortable, was more than enough. He’d scarcely dared to dream of this sort of peace while he was in Azkaban. 

Remus smiled as they parted, and turned to rest his head against Sirius’ shoulder. “Just you wait until tomorrow,” he said in a sleepily mischievous tone. “I’ll have enough strength to ravish you.” He yawned and added, “As long as it’s before eight o’clock.”

Sirius laughed softly. “How about I ravish you instead? You need some pampering.”

“You pamper me plenty,” Remus said. “Always have.”

Sirius wriggled his eyebrows up and down suggestively. “Even that first time?”

Remus let out a snort of laughter. “Yes,” he said. “Especially that first time.”

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

**_June 1978_ **

 

Remus gasped as Sirius pressed him up against the closed door of their dorm and started to trail kisses down his neck.

“Moony,” Sirius mumbled against his skin. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Remus breathed. He closed his eyes as Sirius moved up to capture his lips in a kiss and thrust his hips forward against Remus’.

It was their last night at Hogwarts, they’d just declared their affections for each other a few weeks ago, and they had the dorm to themselves for the next three hours. A shiver of excitement ran down Remus’ spine. He and Sirius had snogged plenty since they got together, but tonight would be the first time they could get off together, properly, on a real bed without the threat of discovery or the sounds of James’ snortling snores ruining the mood.

It was also quite possibly their last chance to shag on school property, as Sirius had helpfully pointed out earlier that evening. Remus had been quick to agree that they should not squander the opportunity.

They made their way to the bed, leaving a trail of socks and ties and underpants in their wake. Remus tried very hard not to gape as his eyes roamed over the long, lean lines of Sirius’ body. He had imagined this happening quite a lot, but the shock of it actually happening was still a lot for him to take in.

Once they were on the bed, with Remus splayed out underneath Sirius, they paused for a moment, staring into each other's eyes. Remus was nervous, but his excitement outweighed any lingering fears. 

Sirius smiled and pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose. “Where’s your wand?” he asked. “A lubrication charm might be handy right about now.” He grinned at his own pun.

Remus snickered. “It’s… oh, I must’ve dropped it somewhere, hold on-”

“-Ah I see it-”

Remus sat up quickly to scan the room for his wand, but unfortunately Sirius leaned down at the same time to reach over the side of the bed towards the floor. Remus’ forehead collided with into Sirius’ nose with a sickening crack.

“AUGH!”

Sirius fell backwards, cupping his nose which was spurting with blood. Remus felt sick as he scrambled to grab some tissues from the bedside table and thrust them into Sirius’ face.

“Shit, I’m sorry, I’m  _ so _ sorry, Merlin, the blood’s everywhere-”

“Remus-”

“Right, here’s some more tissues, shit, Sirius, I didn’t mean to-”

“Remus!”

Remus stopped babbling and fell silent as he looked at Sirius with a sinking feeling in his stomach. Of course he’d ruined their first time before it had even gotten off to a proper start. He was the worst boyfriend of all time, not that he’d be anyone’s boyfriend for much longer at this rate.

“Remus,” Sirius said calmly, “hand over the bloody wand, will you?”

Remus leaned over the side of the bed and grabbed his wand off the floor. He handed it over to Sirius with a sheepish look of contrition.

Sirius muttered a few spells under his breath and tapped his nose. The swelling went down and the blood disappeared. “There we go,” he said with a smile. “Good as new. Now, where were we?”

Remus’ jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious! You still want to do it?”

Sirius shrugged. “Why not?”

“Right,” Remus said shortly. “All the best shags start off with a broken nose.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Sirius said with a sly grin. “Never started a shag like this before.” He reached out and cupped Remus’ face. “Maybe it’ll end up being our special thing.”

“You’re such a git!” Remus rolled his eyes, but he pulled Sirius in for another kiss. 

It had been a rough start, but surely that just meant they’d need a lot more practice.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

**_Present Day_ **

 

Sirius frowned down at the sheets of Teddy’s bed. Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle, stared back at him with a wide grin. “Moony!” he called over his shoulder. “What’s that stain removing spell that Andi’s always using? Marvin’s got some sort of green splotch on his face and  _ Scourgify _ isn’t working.”

“I’m sure I don’t know,” Remus said from the doorway. “And I’m sure Teddy won’t mind, as long as the sheets are clean.”

“He wouldn't mind even if the sheets were dirty,” Sirius shot back. “But I do.”

“Really,” Remus said dryly. “I seem to recall you spending close to a year sleeping on dirty rocks and cuddling with rats.”

“That was for the benefit of my cherished godson,” Sirius sniffed. “But I’m a creature of comfort now, Moony. I need my silk sheets and my fluffy pillows.”

“And your beloved husband to keep you warm?” Remus grinned as he walked over to Sirius and wrapped his arms around his waist.

“Mmmhmm,” Sirius murmured against Remus’ hair. “Dunno how I’d sleep without your ice cold feet and bony elbows.”

“Oh,” Remus said with feigned innocence. “Are my feet that cold?”

“You know damn well they are!” Sirius laughed. “I hear you snickering when you kick me with them.”

“I will neither confirm nor deny these accusations,” Remus said in a lofty tone.

Sirius snickered as he pulled Remus closer, but his face fell into a frown. “I don’t mean to fuss, it’s just… This will be Teddy’s last time staying with us.”

Remus looked up at Sirius with a level gaze. “That’s not entirely accurate,” he said. “He’s getting his own place, but he’ll be back for plenty of visits.”

“It’s not the same,” Sirius griped. “He won’t be coming  _ home.  _ He’ll be a guest.” His eyes narrowed. “And don’t pretend as though you’re so nonchalant about all this. I saw you using dusting charms on the baseboards earlier today. When’s the last time we cleaned those, eh?”

Remus’ shoulder slumped as he pulled Sirius closer. “I know,” he mumbled. “It’s hard to have things change.” He looked back up at Sirius and wrinkled his nose. “Especially  _ good _ change. That’s not something either of us are used to.”

Sirius kissed Remus’ forehead. “Well, we’d better get used to it, seeing as all these pesky good changes keep happening.”

“Yes,” Remus agreed. “I suppose we should.”

Sirius grinned and kissed Remus again. “Remember when we moved into our first place together?”

“I do,” Remus said. “Merlin, we thought we were so grown up.”

“And our baseboards were impeccably clean,” Sirius mused. He grinned as Remus elbowed him in the side and laughed. 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

**_July 1978_ **

 

Remus had been living with Sirius for less than an hour, and he was already convinced that he was about to be kicked out. 

He fussed around the bedroom of Sirius’ flat, pulling out shirts and underpants and stuffing them haphazardly into his assigned dresser drawers. Sirius had wandered out of the room fifteen minutes ago and hadn’t returned. Remus wondered if he was reconsidering his offer. Perhaps Sirius was regretting his loss of freedom.

They’d only just started dating two months ago, after all, and Sirius had just recently moved out of James’ parent’s house. The war continued to rage and it would soon be be time for more dangerous missions to begin. Stress levels would be heightened, and things would surely become more complicated, even without the additional hassle of arguments over whose turn it was to do the washing up, or go out for the groceries, or whatever else they might wind up arguing about.

It was Remus who needed a place to stay, after all. Sirius had been bequeathed a decent amount of gold from his Uncle Alphard. He didn’t need a roommate, especially one who wasn’t likely to be assisting with the expenses any time soon. 

Maybe Sirius had asked Remus to move in as a kindness without thinking things through. It certainly wouldn’t be the first, nor the last, rash decision he’d made. 

Maybe Sirius was frantically whispering to James over their two way mirror, asking if there was some way Remus could stay with him and Lily instead. 

Maybe Sirius hadn’t even wanted Remus to move in with him in the first place, but felt obligated since James and Lily were newlyweds and Peter still lived with his mother.

Remus knew he was being ridiculous and letting his fears get the best of him. Sirius might only recently have become his boyfriend, but they’d been friends for years. The Marauder bonds went deeper than that. And Sirius was not one to keep his mouth shut and carry on when a situation was not to his liking.

Remus closed the dresser drawer firmly, and took a deep breath. There was only one way to find out. He squared his shoulders and left the room.

“Sirius,” he called out. “Where are you?”

“Over here,” Sirius answered, “at the front door!”

Remus made his way to the entryway and raised one eyebrow in confusion. Sirius stood hunched over slightly in the doorway, tapping his wand against the wooden frame.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

Sirius didn’t turn to look at him. “Just a few more seconds,” he said. After a few more taps, he straightened up and turned towards Remus with a triumphant grin.

“Here we are,” Sirius said grandly. “It’s official. We live here together, now.” He pointed to the door frame with a flourish.

Remus walked over so he could get a better look. Something had been carved into the dull mahogany. He leaned in closer, and saw that it was a simple _ S <3 R,  _ written vertically. He felt a lump in his throat as he traced the letters with his fingers. 

This was real, tangible. Sirius had turned their fervent confessions of love into something solid. 

“Well?” Sirius’ voice piped up from behind him. “What do you think?”

Remus turned to face him. Sirius sported his usual cocky grin, but there was a hint of vulnerability in his expression as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

Relief flooded through Remus’ veins. Sirius was just as nervous as he was. It was a big step, after all, a big change for them both. And things would only continue to change and get harder. 

But Sirius loved him. The proof was right there, carved into the worn wood. Everyone who entered their flat would know right away, this was a home. Their home.

Remus walked over to Sirius and wrapped his arms around Sirius’ waist. He looked into Sirius’ eyes and gave him a warm, encouraging smile. 

“I think it’s perfect.”

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

**_Present Day_ **

 

Remus and Sirius waved Teddy off from their front door. Their son raced through the rain to the car waiting for him, quickly loading his suitcases and getting in. He and his friends would be spending the summer on the road, searching for the last bit of adventure before it was time to settle into the next phase of adulthood. 

Sirius closed the door with a sigh. “Can you believe it? Our little bird has flown the nest.” He wrapped an arm around Remus’ waist and leaned their heads together. “We’re officially old now, Moony. We’ll have to take up bridge like the old Muggles down the road. Maybe hire some Muggle children to come round so we can holler at them to get off our lawn.”

Remus rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. “Pads, that was the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said, and that’s saying a lot.”

“Yeah, but you love me.” Sirius said, nodding towards the carving they had made in their doorway. “Proof’s right there.”

Remus reached out and let his fingers trace over the carving, the same  _ S <3️ R _ that had graced their first home together, just as it would each of their homes from now until the last.

Smiling, he turned back to Sirius and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I do love you. And you love me. Not sure which one of us is the bigger fool for it, but-”

“Oh, shut up.” Sirius said, pulling him in for another kiss, gentler than their first, but ever so much sweeter.

 


End file.
